


Under the Bleachers

by mobheroacademia



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Internalized Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Marijuana, Not Beta Read, Recreational Drug Use, Self-Doubt, Sexual Tension, Shotgunning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25296208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mobheroacademia/pseuds/mobheroacademia
Summary: Dan is a loner who hangs out behind the bleachers to smoke and one day Arin joins him.When they get high together, Arin finally takes off the mask he puts on for his classmates and Dan finally finds someone he emotionally connects with.*THIS IS PURELY A WORK OF FICTION, DO NOT FORCE SHIPS ONTO REAL PEOPLE*
Relationships: Dan Avidan/Arin Hanson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	Under the Bleachers

**Author's Note:**

> this honestly sucks i’m sorry. i thought of making a part 2 but i’m pretty sure this is bad enough lmAOOO  
> also this is unbeta’d and ooc i’m sorry :(

Arin Hanson was not dumb. He wasn’t exactly what people would call an exemplary student, but he wasn’t dumb. He could smell the heavy scent of marijuana in the air when he walked past the bleachers of the old soccer field--the one used before the school renovated the courtyard. Who was at school this late? It was at least 5PM, an hour after school had let out.

Arin’s curiosity got the best of him. He couldn’t just leave now, he had to know what was going on! He quietly turned the corner and peered around the back to see a junior-they were in the same grade, so of course Arin recognized him from around the halls. Didn’t they share a class back in sophomore year? He couldn’t recall his name, though…

Arin’s thoughts were interrupted by the boy’s voice.

“Oh shit, hey-” he coughed, clearly caught off-guard, “Fuck’re you doing here?”

“I was just uh-I was walking past and I smelled weed. Figured I’d check it out,” Arin shrugged, trying to match the cool demeanor of the other boy.

A lazy smirk settled on the other boy’s face, “Shit, man, I didn’t peg you for a stoner. You smoke right? That’s how you knew the smell?”

Arin nodded without hesitation, “Yeah, I mean, I have… a couple times…”

He hadn’t.

“Wanna chill with me? You can have a few hits if you want. Gets boring sittin’ here alone. Plus I know you won’t snitch if you get high too,” the boy half-joked.

Arin checked over the soccer field for any sign of other students. He glanced back at the boy. God, he was fucking attractive. Arin had never really paid attention to him before. He was the quiet type… not rebellious or anything, just… a loner. There were rumors about him, people said he was homeless, that he dealt drugs, that he was planted by the school staff to observe and report on students. There was even a rumor that he killed his own parents. No wonder the kid didn’t have any friends.

Looking at him now, though, he seemed so… human. The rays of the evening sun streamed onto his face and hair through the slits of the bleachers, his half-lidded eyes staring up at Arin, waiting for an answer. Arin gulped. “Yeah, sure dude, why not?”

“I’m Danny, by the way,” the kid--Dan, informed Arin when he took a seat on the concrete foundation.

“I’m Arin.”

They sat in silence as Dan took another drag of the blunt.

“Why’re you at school this late?” Arin asked, glancing over at Dan.

Dan’s expression went cold, “I could ask you the same thing.”

Shit, did he say something wrong? Arin looked away.

Silence, again.

Arin was broken out of his spiraling thoughts by the blunt being offered to him. He started to take a drag, feeling the smoke fill his lungs. He tried to choke back a cough at the burning sensation, but that just made it worse. He broke out into a full coughing fit, which prompted Dan to start laughing.

“Hey-Fuck you, man-” Arin huffed, trying not to smile, “I just-I haven’t done it in a while, alright?”

“Sure, it’s  _ definitely _ not that you lied about having smoked,” Dan rolled his eyes, still smiling. “What you wanna do is inhale and just hold it, don’t hit it too hard if you’re not used to it yet.”

Arin nodded and tried again, attempting to become comfortable with the feeling of the smoke in his lungs. His exhale was shaky, nervous even. He didn’t wanna fuck up again, he didn’t want to make a bad impression on Dan.

Just when Arin thought he’d made it past the threshold, having inhaled and exhaled with moderate success, he started coughing again. “Jesus-” he said between coughs, “ _ Fuck _ , how the hell do stoners do this all the time?”

“C’mere, I can make it a bit weaker,” Dan took the blunt from Arin, hitting it before turning his attention back to Arin. His fingers barely brushed under Arin’s chin and tilted his head up to look into Dan’s eyes.

Arin’s heart was racing. He felt so fucking helpless at the hands of Danny’s cool and composed charm. Something about his eyes, his easygoing smile, his lanky body supported by an arm behind him, something about all of it was fucking entrancing. Dan really was gorgeous in every way.

Before Arin could protest, Danny’s lips brushed his own, not even an inch apart. Dan exhaled his smoke into Arin’s parted lips. Though it took a second, Arin took the hint to inhale. Something about it was all so… intimate. Such a delicate gesture, almost affectionate.

Dan wasn’t lying when he said it would make the smoke weaker. Arin was able to hold the secondhand smoke in his lungs a few seconds and exhale without issue. He smiled like an idiot when he finally succeeded, much to Danny’s amusement.

After a few more hits Arin was starting to feel… fuzzy. Like his mind was filled with fog. Everything just felt so perfect. Being here with Danny was perfect. He could do this forever. Without thinking--not that he really had the capacity to think anymore--he rested his head on Danny’s shoulder.

Dan looked down at him and jokingly raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t protest.

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Dan spoke again.

“I never really did like you, y’know.”

“What do you mean?” Arin frowned as he looked up at Danny, who was now gazing out at the desolate soccer field.

Dan took another drag of the blunt, “You’ve always been so loud… so…  _ obnoxious _ . Like you want everyone to like you and you don’t care what it takes to make that happen,” his gaze travelled down to Arin, “That’s not really you, is it?”

Arin nervously chuckled, averting eye contact, “Wh-what’re you talking about, man?”

“No, I mean you’re playing a goddamn character in your daily life, pretending to be someone you aren’t,” Dan sounded more frustrated now, anger seeping into his tone, “I don’t know why you-why  _ anyone  _ would fucking do that. Sacrifice who you really are, just for someone else’s approval-”

This wasn’t right-This wasn’t now things were supposed to go. Things were so good just a minute ago!

Arin abruptly sat up, turning to glare at Dan, “Well it's better than-than being like you! I mean, look where being yourself got you! Everyone at this school fucking hates you, no one even wants to talk to you! I mean, I’d rather play a character than b-be…” Arin trailed off, the venom leaving his voice. Tears had been welling in his eyes and they finally spilled over as he looked away. “This was a bad fucking idea. I need to go home,” he mumbled and started to get up.

Arin found himself being tugged back down, his arm locked in Dan’s grip. He didn’t even have time to meet Dan’s eyes before Dan’s lips were pressed up against his.

When they broke the kiss, Arin could tell something had changed. Dan’s eyes were filled with sorrow, like a switch had been flipped in him, like Arin had triggered a part of Danny’s mind that was abandoned long ago.

“I don’t have any friends,” Dan admitted, his voice hushed.

“Wh-what?” Arin breathes out, his face still mere inches away from Dan’s. He was barely able to comprehend the kiss, much less… whatever this confession was.

“Earlier… You asked… Y’know, about why I was here so late. I… I didn’t wanna upset my parents by telling them I didn’t have any friends,” Dan looked down, his eyes soft and filled with sadness, “I told them I was gonna go hang out with a friend… I didn’t… I didn’t have anywhere else to go…”

Arin’s eyes scanned Dan’s face before his hand came up to cup Dan’s cheek, “Danny I’m… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to say all that stuff earlier…”

“It’s fine,” Dan offered a strained smile, “I hear it all the time.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

They sat in uncomfortable silence.

Arin had to save this. There was no way he was going to push Dan to talk more. He smiled and chuckled sadly, “Wanna know why I’m here?”

Dan perked up a bit, “Why’s that?”

“I-god, this is so fucking dumb,” Arin laughed, “So I told my friends… I told them I had plans to see my girlfriend and they wanted proof, so I paid an underclassman to meet me here and take a picture with me and pretend we’re on a date.”

Dan looked floored, all tension from the past topic lost as they both burst into laughter. “H-Holy shit,” Dan choked through his laughter, “You paid a girl to pretend to date you??”

“I-I yeah! I fucking did!” Arin felt his face flush as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Why would you even lie about having a girlfriend in the first place? Like there’s tons of dudes that don’t have girlfriends yet,” Dan asked, leaning back and supporting his weight on his elbows.

“Well it’s just that… they kinda suspect that I’m…” Arin cringed, searching for the right words, “Not…? Into girls…?”

“So they think you’re gay.” Dan was much blunter about it. Arin deflated, nodding.

Silence.

“...Are you?”

“Wh-Why’s that matter, man?” Arin sputtered, scooting a few inches away from Dan and turning his head away.

“Well I just think it’s dumb that your friends make you think you have to be straight to be accepted, I don’t see why that should even matter to them at all,” Dan shrugged, unbothered by what Arin clearly considered a taboo topic.

“It’s not… It’s just that… I don’t…” Arin sighed, trying to find words.

“Hey, Hey, look at me,” Dan brushed a lock of Arin’s hair behind his ear. Arin’s gaze met Dan’s, his eyes brimming with tears, bloodshot from the weed. “I don’t know what kinda friends you have but they’re not your friends if they give a shit about who you like. That’s your fucking business and it’s not something you should be ashamed of.”

“You kissed me earlier…” Arin whispered, noticing how far Dan leaned in, “Why?”

“I… ‘m not sure… It just felt like you were hurting… Like you needed to know you weren’t alone. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be…” Arin looked so vulnerable like this, Dan’s hand still resting on his jaw, “I… really liked it.”

The space between them closed when their lips met again. Arin rested his hands on Dan’s chest, deepening the kiss. Dan ran his fingers through Arin’s hair, tugging just enough to tilt Arin’s head up.

When they finally parted, Arin’s eyes were half-lidded, his breathing shaky. Dan, on the other hand, just leaned back and smirked, bringing the blunt back up to his lips to take another drag. He leaned back in and kissed Arin again, parting his lips and exhaling the smoke into Arin’s mouth.

When Arin pulled away he practically collapsed onto Dan, desperately grasping at the fabric of his t-shirt.

“Danny…” he breathed out, his voice practically an octave higher.

Was it getting hotter outside or something? Dan swallowed thickly, trying to hold onto any last bit of self control he may have had.

“Yeah, uh, Arin, I think you may have smoked a bit too much…” Dan nudged Arin off of him, already knowing his face was noticeably more red than it had been a moment ago, “Listen, dude, I think you're super cool…”

Dan trailed off as Arin’s expression sank. Arin’s thoughts started racing. Of course. He always did this. He was always too much or not enough, always overbearing and annoying or straight up boring. How come he couldn’t just fucking be enough for once-

Arin was snapped out of his thoughts when Dan cupped his face, his thumb rubbing reassuring circles into Arin’s cheek. “We should hang out again sometime. I really do think you seem cool, dude. I just… don’t want you doing anything you’re gonna regret ‘cause you’re high. Let’s take things slow, okay?”

Arin took a shaky breath, “Yeah…” he looked up to meet Dan’s eyes, smiling softly, “Okay.”


End file.
